Dad and I finally got together again after our trip to Peru and did a little training walk around Danbury today.

Having not done so much walking since we got back from Peru and as I was heading to Dads for tomorrow for the One Year Anniversary of Mum passing away, we decided we needed to stretch our legs and start getting back in to training. It is only three months until we do our Hardrian’s Wall trek for Cancer Research Uk in memory of Mum, so we have a lot to do!

The walk was a lovely little circuit around the Church and Danbury Country Park. It was quite muddy in places and we had to jump over a little stream but it was nothing in comparison to our trek through the Amazon a couple of weeks ago. We were lucky that the rain broke and held off until we had finished our walk and found shelter in a great little pub.

We had a delicious Sunday lunch at The Cricketers and I think we will be going back there again when we do a longer walk around Danbury next time.

We have raised over £3,500 so far for Cancer Research UK and we only have another £500 to go to our target we have set ourselves. If you want to support us please donate via our just giving page or share this blog to help us gain followers and supporters.

When Mum was told that she would not be receiving chemo for the Ovarian Cancer and that she would be receiving palliative care it was her last wish to make it home for her final days.

When Mum was first diagnosed in January she had to cancel her long-awaited holiday on a cruise ship so she had asked that she could go home and have people visit her in holiday clothes where we could all talk about happier times and see the view from her garden stretching across Roxwell, Chelmsford and to Danbury. We spent quite a few days waiting for a palliative care package to be put together and were so scared that she would not make it home. Unfortunately most of the usual support networks didn’t have anyone free in the Chelmsford area as Mum was at Broomfield Hospital and the waiting list was long. We were desperate to get Mum home and give her the holiday at home that she we had promised her. The hospital ward arranged with the IT department to have a projector bought in to the room and have holiday images put up on to the hospital wall. We are so thankful for that very thoughtful and touching gesture. Everyone who visited had to wear their holiday best. Finally we heard that Mum would be going home and that Farleigh Hospice would be supporting her and providing the care that her and my family so greatly needed.

From the moment we got Mum home she seemed to release so much tension. The support we got from Farleigh hospice was invaluable and without them we would not have got Mum home. My family is so grateful for everything that they did. They do not normally provide at home care but they helped us fulfill my Mums final wish.

When Mum passed away both me and Dad wanted to do something to show our support to Farleigh Hospice. We had already decided we would do the Hadrian’s Wall walk for Cancer Research and wanted to do something in training for it and to support Farleigh Hospice. So when we heard that they were doing a 12k Walk For Life we signed up. Dad had never done anything like it before and hadn’t walked that far for a long time. I have Osteoarthritis in my Knees and both me and my Dad are diabetic. So we started training and building up to their event. Great training for Hadrian’s Wall.

We raised a total of £897.75 for them and completed the walk in great time. I was so proud of my Dad as this was his first fundraising event like this. It was a very emotional day and I was so proud to walk through the finish line holding his hand. I hope that the money we raised helps other families finding themselves in the situation that we did. Thank you Farleigh Hospice.

About Farleigh Hospice:

Farleigh Hospice aims to enable people affected by life limiting illnesses to live as positively and independently as possible. Our work is about supporting patients, their families and carers in a variety of ways. We offer a wide range of services which are all provided entirely free of charge and tailored to meet the individual needs of the patient, and their family.

Patients can call on our services at any stage of their illness and the bereaved can ask for help at any stage of their bereavement.

The majority of our care is provided inside patients’ own homes. Patients and relatives can dip in and out of our services as they need them – as our patients say, ‘help is always just a phone call away‘.

Illness can be stressful and isolating, both for the person themselves and their family. If you have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness, Farleigh Hospice can help. That help includes:

Someone to talk to about how you are feeling

Someone who can explain about your illness and treatments and answer any questions you may have

Welfare Benefits Advice & Support

Support and encouragement to live and enjoy your life as much as possible

Referral to and liaison with other services you may need, for example, community nursing

Our services are tailored around each individual’s needs and aim to take into account any problems that might be encountered. You might need support with symptoms, financial advice, equipment to enable you to cope at home or a chance to talk through any fears ~ whatever the problem we are here to help.

Thank you so much Claire for being our very first sponsor and kicking off this fundraising effort. We’ve a long way to go so thank you for being the very first person to support us. Claire is a childhood friend of mine, our families have had some wonderful times together. Mum would be so grateful for your support of us. Claire has also designed our logo for us, if you are looking for a Graphic Designer please visit her website for more information www.cebgraphics.comCEB Graphics Facebook PageCEB Graphics Instagram page Thank you again Claire you are a star and I’m sending you lots of love xxxxx Please get donating and supporting us people xxx Rosemary’s Cruisers Just Giving Page

We are looking for supporters who will be happy to donate equipment, a hire car (mini bus) walking and all-weather gear, refreshments, and most of all people who will sponsor us. Please message me if you are interested in supporting us and we will reciprocate with your logo and a brief bio about your organisation. I will happily share links for any times that our links are also shared.

On Mothering Sunday March 6th 2016 Rosemary Alexander lost her battle against Ovarian Cancer and passed away peacefully in her sleep. To remember her life and how she did her utmost to help others, often putting herself and her health second, her husband Alan (My Dad) and myself (Sarah) along with my Auntie June and my good friend Laura will be walking Hadrian’s Wall to raise funds for Cancer Research. My Uncle Tim will be our support vehicle driver. On the 31st May 2017 we will be starting off our Walk in Newcastle and will be splitting up the route over 6 days ending up in Bowness-on-solway. The route is 84 miles in total.We want to raise as much money as possible to help this charity keep fighting to find a cure and support families that are going through what we went through. This page is set up to help us fundraise, to make you aware of some of our supporters, to keep you up to date with training and to keep you in the loop with the progress of the walk itself. Please visit our fundraising page and make a donation, every penny counts and please share with your friends and family